Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Clarence!

I have added another man to my list of tall, lanky loves. Alongside Stuart and Conan O'Brien, James Stewart has a new place in my heart. Despite his staunch conservative republicanism (which I will let slide as a small foible, since it's him. Nobody's perfect!), I think he's a pretty nifty guy. Plus, he's 6'4 - just like Stuart and Conan.

I haven't seen many of his films. I've only seen a few such as Vertigo, It's A Wonderful Life, Rear Window and last night I watched Harvey, which really sealed the deal.

He is a joy to watch in all of these films. He brings life and exuberance to these characters, and in the case of It's A Wonderful Life and Harvey, he makes me want to model my behaviour on his love-thy-neighbor sentiments.

Stewart exudes a presence of a bygone era where charm, etiquette and being an all around swell guy were the tops. I love the way he looks at people with a sort of laughter in his eyes - like he's sharing a joke with everyone he speaks to. There aren't too many actors these days that have the ability to really capture me like ole Jimmy Stewart can. But this shouldn't be too surprising coming from someone who spent the better part of her youth enraptured by the likes of Wally Cleaver.